Abhijeet Dipke dares Fadnavis govt to arrest him ahead of Mumbai protest
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Mumbai: Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday challenged the Maharashtra government to arrest him ahead of the party’s planned demonstrations in Mumbai from October 2, while demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Dipke warned Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis against repeating what he described as a mistake made on July 20. “If you want to arrest us, do it right now,” he said, referring to the upcoming agitation.
Dipke accused Kumar of electoral roll manipulation and called him a “traitor to the nation”, demanding his immediate resignation. He alleged that the ruling coalition was involved in “state-sponsored disenfranchisement” and accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of being used as a political tool.
He claimed that 13 crore voters had been removed from electoral rolls and said those affected would take to the streets. Dipke also demanded that the ECI freeze the recently prepared Special Summary Revision (SIR) lists and use the 2005 voter lists for upcoming elections.
On police permission for the protests, Dipke said the CJP would proceed regardless of whether authorisation was granted. He compared the planned demonstrations with protests during India’s freedom struggle and said the party would exercise its democratic right to protest.
Reacting to Fadnavis’ recent remark that protesters could face three days in jail before obtaining bail, Dipke said he was prepared to remain in prison for three months and return to the streets afterwards. He also questioned why protesters were denied permission to demonstrate at Shivaji Park when political rallies were held at the same venue.
The CJP will support the Opposition’s joint agitation on October 4, while Dipke will be on a nationwide tour. CJP cadres are expected to join the wider protest against the ECI in Mumbai.
Dipke also said Gen Z would constitute the largest voter demographic in the 2029 elections and called for creating the country they envision.
On criticism over his Rs 30,000 shoes, Dipke said he could afford them and described them as part of a fan moment involving actor Shah Rukh Khan.
The CJP’s Mumbai protest on October 2 comes ahead of an Opposition demonstration planned outside the ECI headquarters in New Delhi on October 6.
With IANS inputs